


like my father before me

by suzukiblu



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Dreams, Dreams vs. Reality, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Force Visions, Gen, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Missing Scene, Prophetic Dreams, The Force, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26868088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzukiblu/pseuds/suzukiblu
Summary: Luke dreams of Vader.Luke dreams of his father.They’re the same dreams, of course.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 141





	like my father before me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beckyh2112](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beckyh2112/gifts).



> Written for beckyh2112, who wanted Luke and Vader. Apologies in advance if I mess something up; it’s been a hot minute since I watched the original trilogy. Writing this kinda made me wanna pull it out again, though, and if I didn’t have five thousand other things on my watchlist right now I probably would’ve, haha.

Luke dreams of Vader. 

Luke dreams of his father. 

They’re the same dreams, of course. 

.

.

.

Vader is a dark, looming shadow at the edge of all of Luke’s thoughts. Not always, but tonight . . . very much so tonight. The father he idolized, and the man that father actually is. Someone he might be able to save—believes he can save—but someone who doesn’t _want_ saved. 

Or doesn’t know he wants saved, maybe. 

It’s very hard for Luke to feel that Vader doesn’t want that, when the more he listens to the Force, the more convinced he is that he can do it. No matter what anyone else thinks or says or feels, including Vader himself, Luke thinks he can do it. 

But Vader thinks he wants to rule the galaxy with him. Would be glad to, if he knows how to be glad anymore. Luke wants nothing like that, but can’t forget the offer. He used to dream about what his father had been like; what his life would’ve been like had the man lived. What they might’ve done together. 

There’s a thousand things they could do together, still, but Luke knows it’ll only be one of the two: either he’ll save Vader, or Vader will change his mind. 

And his mind isn’t going to change. 

.

.

.

Lightning crackles at the edges of Luke’s mind, bright and intense as the blade of a lightsaber, and his prosthetic twitches. 

He sleeps, and he dreams. 

.

.

.

“My son,” Vader says, leaning over Luke. It might be a dream. It might be a vision. It might be a delusion. Luke looks up at him, not sure what to say. If it’s a vision, he can already tell it’s not going to be a helpful one. 

“Father,” he says. 

“Join me,” Vader says, holding out a dark-gloved hand that takes up the entire world. If Luke took it, the whole galaxy would change, but not the way he wants it to. 

“Come with me,” he says instead. 

Vader says nothing, and the Force says nothing either. 

It’s a dream, Luke thinks. 

Or maybe it’s not. 

.

.

.

Luke stares out of the Falcon and across the stars in silence, and he knows Vader is far away but he feels him all the same. The man he wanted to be, and the man he never wants to be. He thinks he’ll always feel him, now. 

He wonders what Vader feels of him, that he thinks he’d ever join him. He wonders what the Force is telling Vader. 

Luke thinks he can have his father. Vader thinks he can have his son. 

And the Force thinks . . . 

.

.

.

“Join me,” Vader says, and this time it isn’t a dream or a vision, and the hand that he reaches out with is solid and real and would be so easy to take. Luke could take it, any time. Vader will never go back on this offer. 

He could have his father, and Vader could have his son. 

“Come with me,” he says instead, knowing he’ll never take it back either. Vader looks at him with that expressionless mask, and Luke could have him, and he could have Luke. It’d be simple. 

The most difficult thing in the galaxy, one way or the other, but simple.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr!](http://suzukiblu.tumblr.com/)


End file.
